The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has set a date for Oral Hearings on jurisdiction in the case of the long-running border controversy between this country and Venezuela. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the ICJ has notified Guyana that hearings will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands from March 23 to 27, 2020.

It will determine whether the Court has jurisdiction over the case filed by Guyana on March 29, 2018 to obtain from the Court a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding, and that Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela.

Guyana brought its case to the Court following the decision by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in January 2018, that the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the World Court.  In taking his decision, the Secretary-General was exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.(Stabroek News)…[+]

A second family has arrived in Guyana to a Ministerial welcome after surviving Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas.

At about 10 pm on  Sunday, Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, welcomed Guyanese Vanessa Tate, her Bahamian husband, Stevie Cooper and their three children, Stevie Jr., age 5; Steven, age 3 and 3-month-old Steve at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Caribbean Airlines flew the family home free of cost following a request for humanitarian assistance in getting 23 Guyanese back on home soil.

Minister Felix, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, told reporters at the airport that government has sent the message to Guyanese in the hurricane ravaged islands that they are willing and ready to help them on return to Guyana.

“Initially, we had a list of about 102 persons indicating an interest. Then it broke down to about 28. Five came last week, five arrived [Sunday night] and two are to come … next week. We don’t know if others will join that list but so far, we know that two others are expected to return to Guyana on this very flight next Sunday night,” he said.(Stabroek News)…[+]

A Haitian senator opened fire during a protest outside the country’s parliament building, wounding two people including a photographer.

Chery Dieu-Nalio, a photographer for the Associated Press, was hit in the face. Leon Leblanc, a security guard, was also wounded in the incident. Senator Jean Marie Ralph Féthière opened fire as he left parliament in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

He claimed he was defending himself from protesters. Mr Dieu-Nalio, who was wearing body armour clearly marked with the word “Press”, was struck on the chin. Reports said he was treated in hospital but his injuries were not severe. Mr Leblanc’s condition was not immediately known.

Mr Féthière, a senator from the north, told local media he had attempted to defend himself after “armed individuals threatened me”. “I was attacked by violent militant groups, so I defended myself,” he told Haiti’s Radio Mega, adding: “Self-defence is a sacred right.” Another senator, Patrice Dumont, told local media that Mr Féthière issued a warning before opening fire.(BBC)…[+]